Al-Shabab militants have attacked a military base in Somalia that Kenyan forces turned over late last month as part of a troop withdrawal by the African Union.
Regional officials for Somalia reported early on Thursday that militants had taken control of the base in Geriley village in the Gedo region, about 12 kilometers from the Kenyan border.
According to Ibrahim Guled Adan, the district commissioner of El-Wak town, where Geriley is located, who spoke to the press , the militants took control of the base following a firefight with local paramilitary forces from Jubaland. Adan reported that the attack by al-Shabab resulted in the deaths of four people: three soldiers, including two officers, and a civilian.
“Today there was a fighting in Geriley between the anti-peace elements and the paramilitary forces,†he said.
He said the administration is planning to recapture Geriley.
“We are in an urgent meeting,†he asserted .
On June 29, Geriley was handed over by African Union forces as part of the widely publicized 2,000 soldier drawdown before a full withdrawal by December 2024.
Regional forces in Somalia received control of the base. On July 4, Al-Shabab attempted to seize the base, but was repelled by the local forces. Geriley’s capture might endanger Kenya’s security because of its proximity to the border.
Attacks by Al-Shabab have increased recently in Kenya’s coastal and northeastern regions. The Jubaland regional intelligence agency reported that on Wednesday evening, security forces carried out an operation near the village of Welmarow and killed 17 al-Shabab militants.
The agency allegedly released images of the militants who had died.
On July 11, an al-Shabab suicide car bombing occurred as several regional forces were engaged in an operation.
The Somali government requested air support after al-Shabab militants attacked Somali troops two days earlier while they were engaged in a mission. Herein, three airstrikes by the American military in Africa resulted in the death of 10 al-Shabab militants.
